Section one: Contracting authority
one.1) Name and addresses
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs DAERA
303 Airport Road West
BELFAST
BT3 9ED
Contact
SSDAdmin.CPDfinance-ni.gov.uk
ssdadmin.cpd@finance-ni.gov.uk
Country
United Kingdom
Region code
UK - United Kingdom
Internet address(es)
Main address
https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
Buyer's address
https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
one.2) Information about joint procurement
The contract is awarded by a central purchasing body
one.4) Type of the contracting authority
Body governed by public law
one.5) Main activity
General public services
Section two: Object
two.1) Scope of the procurement
two.1.1) Title
ID 4881595 - DAERA - Livestock Genetics and Data Branch - Bovine Genetics Programme
two.1.2) Main CPV code
- 72000000 - IT services: consulting, software development, Internet and support
two.1.3) Type of contract
Services
two.1.4) Short description
DAERA (the Buyer) is seeking to establish a contract with a Supplier to provide genetic and genomic evaluations, benchmarking services, and associated customer support services for the Northern Ireland Bovine Genetics Programme. The main objectives of this programme are to create an integrated bovine data platform via a managed solution which will deliver and future-proof the functionality to provide genetic and genomic evaluations, benchmarking services, and associated customer support services, to the Bovine Genetics Programme and additionally provide flexibility to exploit the use of new technology where this provides benefit to the programme. The initial contract period is for 5 years with two optional extension periods of 2 years each and a further optional extension period of 1 year. For further details regarding the requirement, please refer to document entitled “ID 4881595 – Mid-Tier Schedule 02 (Specification)”.
two.1.6) Information about lots
This contract is divided into lots: No
two.1.7) Total value of the procurement (excluding VAT)
Value excluding VAT: £50,000,000
two.2) Description
two.2.2) Additional CPV code(s)
- 72300000 - Data services
- 73000000 - Research and development services and related consultancy services
- 73100000 - Research and experimental development services
- 73200000 - Research and development consultancy services
- 73300000 - Design and execution of research and development
- 48000000 - Software package and information systems
two.2.3) Place of performance
NUTS codes
- UKN - Northern Ireland
two.2.4) Description of the procurement
DAERA (the Buyer) is seeking to establish a contract with a Supplier to provide genetic and genomic evaluations, benchmarking services, and associated customer support services for the Northern Ireland Bovine Genetics Programme. The main objectives of this programme are to create an integrated bovine data platform via a managed solution which will deliver and future-proof the functionality to provide genetic and genomic evaluations, benchmarking services, and associated customer support services, to the Bovine Genetics Programme and additionally provide flexibility to exploit the use of new technology where this provides benefit to the programme. The initial contract period is for 5 years with two optional extension periods of 2 years each and a further optional extension period of 1 year. For further details regarding the requirement, please refer to document entitled “ID 4881595 – Mid-Tier Schedule 02 (Specification)”.
two.2.5) Award criteria
Quality criterion - Name: AC1 Proposed methodology and approach to deliver the genetic and genomic evaluation services including continuous improvement and innovation. / Weighting: 16.1
Quality criterion - Name: AC2 Proposed methodology and approach to deliver the benchmarking services including continuous improvement and innovation. / Weighting: 14.7
Quality criterion - Name: AC3 Proposed methodology and approach to deliver the user portal. / Weighting: 14.7
Quality criterion - Name: AC4 Proposed methodology and approach to data access and reports. / Weighting: 7
Quality criterion - Name: AC5 Contract service management. / Weighting: 7
Quality criterion - Name: AC6 Social value. / Weighting: 10.5
Cost criterion - Name: Total Contract Price / Weighting: 30
two.2.11) Information about options
Options: Yes
Description of options
This Contract is for an initial period of 5 years with 2 optional extension periods of up to 2 years each and 1 further optional extension period of up to 1 year.
two.2.13) Information about European Union Funds
The procurement is related to a project and/or programme financed by European Union funds: No
Section four. Procedure
four.1) Description
four.1.1) Type of procedure
Open procedure
four.1.8) Information about the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA)
The procurement is covered by the Government Procurement Agreement: Yes
four.2) Administrative information
four.2.1) Previous publication concerning this procedure
Notice number: 2024/S 000-005441
Section five. Award of contract
Contract No
1
Title
Contract
A contract/lot is awarded: Yes
five.2) Award of contract
five.2.1) Date of conclusion of the contract
19 December 2024
five.2.2) Information about tenders
Number of tenders received: 1
Number of tenders received from SMEs: 1
Number of tenders received from tenderers from other EU Member States: 1
Number of tenders received from tenderers from non-EU Member States: 0
Number of tenders received by electronic means: 1
The contract has been awarded to a group of economic operators: No
five.2.3) Name and address of the contractor
ICBF LIMITED
Link Road, Ballincollig, Cork.
Cork
P31 D452
Country
Ireland
NUTS code
- IE - Ireland
Internet address
https://etendersni.gov.uk/epps
The contractor is an SME
Yes
five.2.4) Information on value of contract/lot (excluding VAT)
Initial estimated total value of the contract/lot: £50,000,000
Total value of the contract/lot: £50,000,000
Section six. Complementary information
six.3) Additional information
Contract Value. The awarded Contract Value for the maximum contract term including all optional extensions (10 years in total) is £39,093,705.01. This value also includes the annual support and maintenance based on approximately 21,500 users; however actual costs will be calculated on a pro rata basis depending on the actual number of users. This value is based on current requirements as detailed in the Specification Schedule and associated documentation. However, the total potential maximum value of the contract is up to £50m (excl. VAT) for the maximum contract term including all optional extensions (10 years in total). This value reflects the potential scale of the contract and takes into account changes and potential modifications to the contract that may be required due to legislative, operational and technological developments and/or additional functions and additional services that DAERA may be required to provide during the contract term. CPD and DAERA cannot give any guarantee as to the level of business under this contract/agreement. The award of a Services Contract does not confer exclusivity on the successful Supplier. Contract monitoring: the successful contractor’s performance on the contract will be regularly monitored. Contractors not delivering on contract requirements is a serious matter. It means the public purse is not getting what it is paying for. If a contractor fails to reach satisfactory levels of contract performance they will be given a specified time to improve. If, after the specified time, they still fail to reach satisfactory levels of contract performance, the matter will be escalated to senior management in construction and procurement delivery (CPD) for further action. If this occurs and their performance still does not improve to satisfactory levels within the specified period, this may be considered grounds for termination of the contract at your expense as provided for in the Conditions of Contract. In lieu of termination, CPD may issue a Notice of Written Warning or a Notice of Unsatisfactory Performance. A supplier in receipt of multiple Notices of Written Warning or a Notice of Unsatisfactory Performance may, in accordance with The Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (as amended), be excluded from future public procurement competitions for a period of up to three years. The Services to be delivered by the Supplier are the full range of Services required by the Buyer to support its operational requirements over the initial Term of the contract and, if extended, the extension(s) to the Term of the contract. The Services may be subject to change during the Term in order to address and remain consistent with future changes to the Buyer’s operational requirements, including, but not limited to: Changes to the Buyer’s delivery model; Changes to the Buyer’s organisation, including wider changes to NICS Departmental structures; and/or where key functions of the current Buyer organisational structure are provided by different/alternative public sector organisations; and/or where new functions are provided by the Buyer; and. Changes requiring the Supplier to provide services to/for other public sector organisations to fulfil the Buyer’s operational requirements. Such changes may result in increases or decreases in the scope and/or scale of the Services required from the Supplier, or changes to the Contract to accommodate organisational/functional changes affecting the Buyer, and accordingly this contract shall be subject to modification without a new procurement procedure in accordance with Regulation 72 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. The Supplier shall provide a suitable mechanism for accommodating these changes assuming the nature of the services provided remain consistent with the overall nature of the Buyer’s operational requirements for this contract as defined in this Specification and associated documentation. Such changes may involve changes which cannot be identified at the time of this procurement, but which may be identified and required during the Term of the contract (“Additional Services”). The Supplier should note that there may also be other changes in the scope and/or scale of the Services required during the Term of the Contract that could not be identified or foreseen at the time of this procurement but which are consistent with the overall nature of the Buyer’s current and future operational requirements as defined in this Specification and associated documentation. In such circumstances the Buyer may seek to agree a modification to this Contract to facilitate the provision of such services by the Supplier, with the charges for such services set by reference to the mechanisms and protections provided in the Conditions of Contract. It is envisaged that such modifications would be made without requiring a new procurement procedure in accordance with Regulation 72 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.
six.4) Procedures for review
six.4.1) Review body
The UK does not have any such bodies with responsibility for appeal/mediation procedures. Instead; any challenges are dealt with by the High Court, Commercial Division, to which proceedings may be issued regarding alleged breaches of the PCR 2015 as amended.
Belfast
Country
United Kingdom
six.4.3) Review procedure
Precise information on deadline(s) for review procedures
CPD complied with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (as amended) and incorporated a standstill period (i.e. a minimum of 10 calendar days) at the point information on the award of contract was communicated to tenderers. That notification provided full information on the award decision. This provided time for the unsuccessful tenderers to challenge the award decision before the contract was entered into.